Today's 'Wordle' #688 Answer, Hints and Clues for Monday, May 8 Puzzle

Originally a coronavirus lockdown phenomenon, Wordle is a brainteaser many have turned their minds to since it was released in the fall of 2021.

Each day, there is a new five-letter word to guess in six attempts or less. The game indicates which letters you have guessed correctly so far until it shows the word of the day in green.

Invented by software developer Josh Wardle, there is a reason for the five-letter, six-attempt format.

"There is a reason that every word is five long and that you are allowed six attempts to guess it," Wardle told Newsweek in January 2022. "That might seem arbitrary but with the prototype version, I tested different word lengths and experimented with the number of tries that players were allowed."

Guessing five letters within six attempts was "the ideal sweet spot," he added. "It's just limited enough to feel challenging and to make you think, but most of the time people still manage to solve it. So, you feel a real sense of real accomplishment."

"Language games poke at how conscious (or unconscious) we are of our own linguistic processes, and maybe give us a little more insight into them than we had before," Joel C. Wallenberg, a senior lecturer in language change at the University of York, England, previously told Newsweek. This may be one reason why people have always come up with and enjoyed playing games rooted in language, he added.

The answer to today's puzzle will appear at the end of this article, so be careful if you are looking to work it out yourself!

'Wordle' #688, Clues for Monday, May 8

Hint #1: There are no repeated letters.

Hint #2: This word contains two vowels.

Hint #3: Synonyms for Monday's Wordle include "luminous" and "bright."

Hint #4: The final letter is a consonant.

Hint #5: Today's Wordle can be used to describe both objects and people.

'Wordle' #688, Answer for Monday, May 8

The answer to today's Wordle is "Aglow."

With no repeating letters, this may have been a head-scratcher for some Wordle users. Well done if you solved today's puzzle, but do not fret if not! There is always a new game to be solved each day, and Newsweek will be back tomorrow with further hints and tips to help you along the way.

What Does 'Aglow' Mean?

"Aglow" is defined by the Cambridge Dictionary as "shining with light and color," with the Collins Dictionary adding this may be with a "soft, warm light."

It can also be applied to people, to convey excitement or positive emotion, for example: "The parents were aglow with pride."